Officer Melvin Santiago, 23, was fatally shot in the head responding to a call at the 24-hour drug store on Communipaw Avenue and John F. Kennedy Boulevard just after 4 a.m., Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop told reporters.

“He’s going to bring Jersey City to the next level,” Mayor Steve Fulop said. “We’ve been a little bit behind the times and I think Jim coming into Jersey City is going to change the dynamics and move the city forward.”

A fallen Jersey City police officer killed in the line of duty was honored Wednesday. The elementary school that Officer Marc DiNardo attended 30 years ago was renamed in his memory at an emotional ceremony at the school.

Jersey City’s police union has approved an agreement that will avert the layoffs of 82 officers. Mayor Healy announced that the Police Officers Benevolent Association approved the agreement Wednesday night.